Roxanne
by The Vampire Virgil
Summary: Barnabas Collins and Randall Drew thought that they destroyed the vampire Roxanne in 1840. But, Roxanne survived, she has slept for over a century, and now she has returned for her beloved...
1. In the Crypt pf Sleeping Beauty

Roxanne By Vampire Virgil Disclaimer: "Dark Shadows" does not belong to me. It belongs to Dan Curtis Productions.  
  
CHAPTER ONE: In the Crypt of Sleeping Beauty  
  
The ancient stone graves upon Eagle Hill are silent through the years, though they have seen unimaginable horrors. They reveal their secrets to no one, however much they wish they could. Beneath the cold earth sleeps one who is dead, and yet not dead. A beauty that has slept for over a century, awaiting her prince.  
  
Roxanne Drew.  
  
Roxanne had become a vampire in the year 1840, a victim of the evil sorceress, Angelique Collins. Everyone turned against her then: her friends, her lover, and even her brother. Her own flesh and blood.  
  
Randall. Randall Drew had tried to destroy her. He thought he had succeeded too.  
  
But as the first rays of the dawn appeared in the sky, Roxanne transformed her body into a fine mist. With supernatural swiftness, the mist seeped down into the cracks of the crypt floor and into the cool soil, away from the searing light. Taking human form in an ancient coffin, she took her rest.  
  
However, she did not count on the cruelty of fate. There was a crucifix on the neck of the old woman buried in the coffin, and as soon as Roxanne had taken shape in the cramped space next to the disgusting, rotting body, she found that she was trapped. Trapped with the horrific cadaver! Even when night came, she found that escape was impossible. The cross burned into her white flesh through the filmy fabric of her burial gown. The pain was white hot, like the light of the sun, concentrated in a tiny metal object.  
  
The pain.what horrible pain.  
  
As day came again, Roxanne slipped into a deep sleep. Then, when the sun set, she was too weak to awaken. She began to dream.  
  
She dreamed of Barnabas.  
  
Longing filled her entire being. Longing for his love, and yet.she hated him. How could he do what he had done to her? No! Hate could never replace the love she felt for Barnabas Collins. He was gone though. Even when Roxanne was capable of clawing her way though the soil to the real world, she kept dreaming, for her beloved had returned to his own time.  
  
Time.Time was no obstacle to her.  
  
Then, 1971 came. The year of Barnabas. He was human now; a doll filled with rich, thick, sensual blood. Roxanne could smell him from where she lay, next to the ancient bones of the nameless woman she had shared over a century with. She had learned to live with the pain that the cross brought her.  
  
It was time to rise up from the cold ground and enter the vibrant world of the living.  
  
The Vampire's hand clawed through the coffin lid and felt the soil. 


	2. Rising from the Dust

CHAPTER TWO: Rising from the Dust  
  
It had been two months since Barnabas Collins, Julia Hoffman, and T.E. Stokes had returned from 1840. Upon returned, Barnabas was shocked to discover that the coffin in which Willie had chained Roxanne was gone from the secret room behind the bookcase.  
  
"Perhaps," Julia theorized, "When Randall destroyed her in 1840, the vampire of 1971 ceased to exist."  
  
This hurt Barnabas far more than he had let on. In his few meetings with the Roxanne Drew of 1971, he had felt a strange connection to her. She was almost a kindred spirit. Barnabas thought that he might be falling in love with her.  
  
"She's not like you, Barnabas," Willie told him, "She's vicious!"  
  
Was Roxanne evil? True, she was a vampire. Because of Roxanne, Maggie had almost died. Maggie, who was dear to Barnabas. Maggie, who now, like everyone else, remembered nothing of her experience with Roxanne. Only Barnabas and Julia remembered.  
  
Barnabas was no longer a vampire. He was human, and more or less content with life. Why did he bother to even think about the past? About Roxanne and others he had known? These were his thoughts as he stared out the window of the Old House Drawing Room at the stars in the night sky. There were dark clouds on the horizon. A storm was coming.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Julia said as she walked down the stairs. Her red hair now hung to her shoulders. Her attire was a simple and severe white dress.  
  
"Nothing." Barnabas told her.  
  
His voice was deep and rich. It had always held such fascination for Julia.  
  
"I should be leaving now. It's getting late."  
  
"There's a storm coming," he cautioned her, "Maybe you should stay here tonight. I wouldn't want you getting caught in the rain."  
  
At that very moment, there was a woman who was about to be caught in the rain as she tried to get back to Collinwood. Mrs. Sarah Johnson was housekeeper there, but right now she regretted it.  
  
"I wish I'd never come to work here!" she thought to herself, "Since then all the Collins family's ever given me is trouble. Why can't they do their own errands?!"  
  
Sarah Johnson was in her mid-fifties, with dyed black hair and rather plain features. In her bony arms she carried a bag of groceries. Her old, rusty automobile had broken down a while back on the long, twisting road that led to Collinwood as she was returning from the village. Now she was walking the way herself.  
  
That wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't just started to rain!  
  
As Sarah continued to whine to herself about her predicament, she mistakenly took a wrong turn. Before she knew it, she was lost in the dark woods of the Collins Estate.  
  
"Ohhh!" she moaned angrily, "What am I going to."  
  
It was just then that Sarah realized that she was on Eagle Hill. The cemetery!  
  
Lightning struck, illuminating the darkness that enshrouded the graves. There was earth moving above one grave. The soil gave way to a horrible, filthy shape that resembled a hand.  
  
Sarah was paralyzed with fear. Her eyes grew wider and wider in horrified fascination was the creature emerged from the ground.  
  
The woman was covered in mud; her body was like that of a rotting corpse. Her hair was matted and brown from the mud. She wore fragments of what once was a long, filmy gown, but it was ripped to shreds and dirty beyond belief. The rain began to wash away the soil from her face and body. This creature was a ghastly color, a sickly yellowish white, and she had large, bloodshot eyes.  
  
Sarah couldn't even scream as the woman approached her.  
  
"The storm has broken." Barnabas told Julia.  
  
"I'm glad I didn't try and go back to Collinwood." She responded.  
  
Roger Collins was walking down the hall back to his room wearing his dressing gown and carrying a bottle of brandy under one arm. It was then that he heard a shriek of absolute terror. It was Maggie Evans' voice. He rushed toward Maggie's room. 


	3. Portents of Danger Forgotten

CHAPTER THREE: Portent of Danger Forgotten  
  
Margaret Evans sat up in the antique four-poster bed in her room at Collinwood. She opened her eyes to the darkness and listened to the thunder of the storm. Maggie's lips opened and she let out a bloodcurdling scream.  
  
"Maggie!" a voice shouted. The intricately carved wooden door to Maggie's room opened and the light from the hall flooded through the doorway. Maggie strained her eyes at the bright light. Then, the face of Roger Collins came into view.  
  
"Ohhh," Maggie sighed, "Mr. Collins, I'm so sorry. I woke you!"  
  
"No, you didn't," Roger said in his dry, rather emotionless voice, "I was just passing your room at the time." Maggie noticed the bottle of brandy under his arm and decided not to mention it.  
  
"I had this terrible nightmare." She told him.  
  
"Do you remember it?" Roger asked.  
  
"Not clearly. I remember this face, I've never seen it before, but it was so familiar."  
  
"Was it a man or a woman's face?" Roger knelt by her bedside.  
  
Maggie's answer was interrupted by the figure of Elisabeth Collins Stoddard who appeared in the doorway. Elisabeth wore a demure, matronly robe of a dark color the same as that of the long, dark brown hair that hung halfway down her back.  
  
"Are you alright, Maggie? I heard you scream." Elisabeth inquired.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine, Mrs. Stoddard."  
  
"No you're not," Roger said, "You look positively terrified. And look, Liz, she's absolutely drenched in sweat. Perhaps she's ill."  
  
"Maybe Julia should have a look at her." Elisabeth suggested.  
  
"I'll go get her." Roger said as he left for Julia's room.  
  
However, Julia Hoffman was not in her room. She was awake and at the Old House, walking down the hall in an antique lace nightgown. Barnabas had gotten it for her in an old trunk in the attic that contained the belongings of Naomi Collins, his mother.  
  
"That's how he thinks of me," Julia said to herself as she walked, "As a mother, as a sister, as a friend. He'll never think of me as anything else." Julia passed the door to Josette Collins's room. There was breathing inside. How odd. "Well, I'm sure that one little peek would be alright with Barnabas."  
  
Julia reached out her thin, frail hand and grasped the doorknob. She turned it and pushed open the gilded white door. It was a beautiful room, the loveliest she had ever seen. Every object was delicate and perfect, just as Josette Collins herself was. A portrait of the 18th century woman hung over the fireplace. Josette's face was serene and yet very sad. She seemed to stare out from under the paint.  
  
Barnabas was on the bed, in a silky robe, lost in slumber.  
  
"How vulnerable he looks," Julia mused, "Like a child." She softly walked over to the bed and looked at his face. Barnabas was not a young man, his features bore the sorrows of the ages, etched into his soul.  
  
"I love you." Julia whispered to the sleeping man. A single tear streaked down her face.  
  
Julia rushed out of the room, away from the man she loved without hope.  
  
Back at Collinwood, Roger returned to Maggie's room.  
  
"Where's Dr. Hoffman?" Elisabeth asked.  
  
"I can't find her. She's not in her room, Liz. The bed hasn't been slept in."  
  
"Oh my God!" Maggie shouted, "Look, there's a face at the window!"  
  
Roger and Elisabeth both turned around to face the window.  
  
"I don't see anything." Roger said.  
  
"Roxanne." Maggie said quietly under her breath.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"I don't know. It just slipped out. Who's Roxanne? I don't even know a Roxanne." Maggie admitted.  
  
In the woods, through the pouring rain, Sarah Johnson walked back to Collinwood, clutching the collar of her black dress tightly to hide the bloody wounds on her throat. 


	4. Melissa Arrives

CHAPTER FOUR: Melissa Arrives  
  
"Excuse me, Mrs. Stoddard," said a pale, rather sickly looking Sarah Johnson as she passed the elegant dowager in the hall.  
  
"Yes, Mrs. Johnson?"  
  
"I just received a letter from my sister's daughter, Melissa. She's touring New England and wanted to stop by Collinsport for a few days to visit me. Well, I was wondering, if it's no trouble, could she stay here at Collinwood?" A colorful silk scarf wrapped around her neck brightened Sarah's drab, black uniform.  
  
"Of course. That would be wonderful! This place has been so quiet since Carolyn went off to college and Quentin left to tour Europe. When will your niece be arriving?" Elisabeth said.  
  
"The letter said she could be here any day now."  
  
Any night would have been more accurate. In fact, the woman who called herself Melissa Werd arrived at Collinwood that very night. Melissa was an enchanting beauty. Masses of fiery red curls framed her face, the creamy skin of which gleamed like porcelain, and her eyes were large and dazzling. Melissa's slim body was clad in an old fashioned dress of a dark green hue. The only jewelry she wore was a gold locket in the shape of a heart.  
  
"Melissa! I am so glad to see you again. Please, come inside. It is so damp out there in the night air." Sarah said as she greeted the woman that she called her niece.  
  
"Thank you ever so much, Auntie." A deep, sensual voice from soft, pink lips.  
  
"Let me introduce you to the Collins, dear." Sarah showed Melissa into the drawing room of Collinwood where three members of the Collins family sat, as well as Maggie Evans, "This is Elisabeth Collins Stoddard, her brother Roger Collins and his son, David Collins."  
  
"And who is this?" Melissa asked, looking at the auburn haired beauty on a chair away from the family.  
  
"Miss Werd," said Elisabeth, rising from the velvet couch, "May I introduce you to our governess, Maggie Evans."  
  
"How nice to meet you, Miss Evans."  
  
"Please, call me Maggie." As she spoke, Maggie felt a vague sense of uneasiness and fear.  
  
"Now, if you would all please excuse me, I would like to freshen up." Melissa said before leaving through the paneled wood doors.  
  
"Well," Roger scoffed arrogantly after Mrs. Johnson had left the room as well, "I don't see why we had to all gather to greet the help's guest."  
  
"I think she's very nice, father." Fourteen-year-old David said while actually thinking, "Whoa! That Melissa is the hottest chick I've ever seen!"  
  
Meanwhile, the beautiful guest was upstairs in her room, hanging up the clothes that Sarah Johnson had bought for her in town during the day. There was a knock on the door.  
  
"You may enter."  
  
Sarah entered, removing the silk scarf from her pale throat as she did so, exposing the deep puncture wounds. She titled her head, offering the vampire her neck.  
  
"You have done well, my servant." The vampire Roxanne told Sarah. Harshly, Roxanne grabbed the old woman's arm and brought the wrist to her mouth. Then, cruelly, she sunk her fangs into the artery. Sarah moaned softy as bright red blood drops of blood dripped down her white arm.  
  
Then, sufficiently fed, the vampire went down to join the Collins family for dinner.  
  
"Ah, Miss Werd," Elisabeth said as the vampire entered the tastefully decorated dining room, "May I introduce Dr. Julia Hoffman, a dear family friend."  
  
"How nice to meet you, Doctor." Melissa said politely.  
  
For a moment, Julia was shocked, utterly dismayed as she stared at Melissa. This woman was identical to the vampire who attacked her in 1840. It was Roxanne!  
  
"Uhh," Julia stammered, "It's, uh, very, uh well yes. Right."  
  
No one except Julia noticed that Melissa, while putting on a good show, did not actually eat any of the food put before her.  
  
"It's too bad cousin Barnabas couldn't make it tonight." Elisabeth said, making small talk, "It would do him good to meet a nice girl like you. I worry about him quite a bit, he's so lonely."  
  
"This would not be a good thing." thought Julia, remembering that Barnabas often fell for girls who resembled long lost loves.  
  
"Dear Lord," thought Roger, "Liz has gone too far! Now she's fixing this girl up with our cousin!" "Damn it!" thought David, "Why does cousin Barnabas get all the chicks?!"  
  
As Julia, Roger, and David were thinking these thoughts, there was a knock on the door. Sarah Johnson, looking particularly haggard and weak, slowly made her way down the stairs to the door in the foyer. She opened it to Barnabas Collins.  
  
"I wonder where Auntie could be?" Melissa asked aloud in the dining room, "I'll go check on her."  
  
In the foyer, Sarah was taking Barnabas's coat as Melissa entered.  
  
As soon as she walked in, Barnabas's deep hazel eyes fixed on Melissa in a look of total shock and longing and desire. 


	5. Reunited for a Moment of Time

CHAPTER FIVE: Reunited for a Moment of Time  
  
"You must be Barnabas Collins." Roxanne, called Melissa, said to the tall, stately gentleman who had just entered. Of course she knew him, there was no way that she could ever forget the one love of her life.  
  
Barnabas was speechless. He just stood there, looking at the bewitching vision before him. It was Roxanne, he had no doubt about that.  
  
"This is my niece, Melissa Werd." Said Sarah quietly and weakly.  
  
Without saying a word, Barnabas took Melissa's hand in his and brought it up to his lips and then kissed it with repressed ardor. Melissa sighed voluptuously as he did so. Responding to the will of the vampire, Sarah had already left them alone in the foyer. Barnabas was standing inches away from Melissa, his hazel eyes gazing luxuriously into her blue ones.  
  
"Let us go into the drawing room." Melissa said softly. She gestured toward the double doors across the room. The long green dress exposed the entire length of her arms and there was something exquisitely sensual about the sheen of her bare, white skin.  
  
Barnabas could not resist the sound of her voice, the complete beauty of her movement, her perfection. Melissa led the way, walking with a grace seldom seen in the modern eras. She sat down on a velvet couch by the fire, which lent a romantic glow to her face for it was the only light in the room. Barnabas was sitting down as well, he suddenly realized that he was still holding her delicate, white hand.  
  
"No," he finally found the courage to speak, "This isn't real. This can't be real."  
  
"What do you mean? I don't understand you, Mr. Collins." She kept her masquerade, though she knew he recognized her.  
  
Barnabas couldn't speak any more. He didn't care who she was. There was no dimly lit room, no world at all around them. The only reality was this woman by his side. He did not even notice the knock on the door until Melissa rose from the couch to respond to this interruption. It was Elisabeth that was knocking.  
  
"You must come quickly," Elisabeth was overwrought, "Your Aunt has just collapsed. She entered the dining room and then fainted!"  
  
Melissa went with Elisabeth, silently cursing the woman. Elisabeth, meanwhile, had not even noticed Barnabas sitting quietly in the darkness of the drawing room, half entranced.  
  
Elisabeth led Melissa to the study, where Roger had taken Sarah Johnson and laid her unconscious form on a large, overstuffed couch. Julia was hovering over Sarah, examining her. Maggie was in the process of taking a morbidly curious David upstairs to his room.  
  
Melissa knelt next to Sarah and she said, "Auntie, you must wake up."  
  
Sarah's eyes suddenly opened and her back rose up from the cushion on the sofa, in a futile attempt to rise up. Sarah moaned in her weakness. The moaning turned to shouting and screaming and thrashing back and forth.  
  
"Mrs. Johnson, let me give you something to relax you." Julia said, pushing Melissa away before preparing an injection, "You'd best all leave." Julia continued.  
  
"May I please stay with her?" begged Melissa sweetly.  
  
"No. I must be alone with my patient." Julia coldly responded.  
  
Elisabeth took Melissa's arm and led her out of the study with the others.  
  
Once she was alone, Julia put Sarah back to sleep with the sedative. Then, she removed the silk scarf to check for the telltale marks of a vampire. They were there alright, and more wounds on Sarah's wrist.  
  
"Melissa is Roxanne Drew!" Julia thought, "I must warn Barnabas, he's in terrible danger!"  
  
Melissa passed the drawing room on her way upstairs. Barnabas was still in there, she could smell him. Should she go to him? Yes. There was no way to resist it. But, as she reached for the door, Barnabas opened it from the inside.  
  
"Mr. Collins!" That was all Melissa could say.  
  
"Miss Werd." He was the perfect gentleman, but why was he holding back?  
  
"Are you going back to your home?" she asked politely, resisting the desire she felt.  
  
"Yes," was his quick answer, followed by, "Is your aunt alright?"  
  
"Yes," she smiled at him with her gleaming, perfect teeth.  
  
The said over polite goodbyes and parted ways. 


	6. Obsession with a Vampire

CHAPTER SIX: Obsession with a Vampire  
  
The deeply orange moon cast an eerie glow on the face of Barnabas Collins as he rushed through the woods back to his crumbling mansion. Deep torment was etched on that face. He couldn't stop thinking about Roxanne. Why was she here? Why did she call herself 'Melissa'? It made no sense! None of it did! It was Roxanne at Collinwood. There was no way he could have been wrong. She was a vampire. He could tell that as well. It was easy, him having been a vampire himself before the curse had been lifted. But, even knowing that she was a vampire made no difference to the emotions he felt. Barnabas desired her so much that he felt physical pain from her absence. He wanted to go back to her so badly that he ached inside, the need for her growing worse and worse with each heavy breath. He had to go to Roxanne and take her in his arms and love her and love her and love her and then let her lips kiss his throat and feel his soul drift away until he was with her and she was with him and they were one being.  
  
"Oh God!" He howled at the world.  
  
Julia Hoffman watched Roger and David Collins as they took Sarah Johnson upstairs to her room. Julia waited until everyone had gone to bed, and then crept into Sarah's room with a black bag in her hand. As quietly as possible, Julia hung crosses all over the room: One on the door, one over the bed, and one on either side of the window. She would have to keep the family out of the room, probably she would fabricate a tale that Sarah's illness was contagious. Then, as Julia opened the door to leave, she saw Melissa standing outside the room, full of anger but trying desperately to hide it.  
  
"How is she?" Melissa said, as politely as she could manage.  
  
"Better. Why don't you go in and see her?" Julia answered, her eyes scanning Melissa's face for any change of expression.  
  
Melissa defiantly walked through the open doorway, pushing Julia aside as she did so. Then, only a half step into the room, she stopped dead in her tracks. Melissa violently turned around and ran out of the room, stopping suddenly and staring at Julia with rage.  
  
"She's asleep. I shouldn't disturb her. Goodnight, Doctor." Melissa ran down the hall to her own room.  
  
Barnabas opened the doors of the Old House and rushed inside. It was dark, and he didn't bother to light a candle. The Old House had no electricity. Barnabas fell into a chair by the empty fireplace. He clutched at his heart. He closed his eyes. Roxanne's face was there in his mind, every detail flawlessly remembered. He sunk deeper into the cushions of the chair as he drowned in the memory of his hand upon her hand. Barnabas drifted off to sleep, Roxanne's graceful figure leading the way to beautiful dreams.  
  
Maggie Evans, wild with fear, came to Julia's room only minutes after the doctor had gotten there herself. Julia was quite surprised to see Maggie. "Julia," Maggie began, her face agonized with fear, "There is something in this house! It's evil! Oh my god, Julia, it's going to kill us all!!!"  
  
"Calm down, Maggie. Here, sit in this chair. There, there. Good, now tell me what happened."  
  
"I had this dream," Maggie told her, "And in my dream, I knew that there was something evil here and I saw a face and I will never forget that face because I saw it at the window that same night, last night. It was her! It was Melissa Werd!"  
  
"Melissa? Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes! Yes! It has to be!" Maggie started to grow hysterical again, "Julia, we have to do something before it's too late!"  
  
"Maggie," Julia said calmly, "Melissa's real name in Roxanne Drew. She is a vampire."  
  
"A vampire?!"  
  
"Let me explain. This is going to take some time." Julia then began to tell Maggie about the undead.  
  
It was 1840, Roxanne Drew was in her bedroom, she had just removed her cape and was wistfully remembering the man she had met that night, a mysterious, elegant gentleman named Barnabas Collins. She turned around and saw a figure by her window, a man in a long cape.  
  
"Don't make a sound." he said, it was Barnabas.  
  
"You should not be here," was her futile attempt to be proper, "You must leave."  
  
"I tried to resist coming to you like this, but I kept seeing your face, hearing the sound of your voice. I am the stranger that you spoke of and I will love you as you have never been loved before. I cannot help myself." He was the incarnation of passion.  
  
Barnabas advanced toward Roxanne. She was so lovely, so innocent. There were yellow ribbons in her curly red locks. She saw his vampire fangs and yet, she made no sound. Roxanne had never been loved by anyone before and she wanted this more than words could say. His teeth pierced the soft skin on her neck just above the vein. He felt the rush of thick, sensually rich blood fill his mouth. Roxanne tilted back her head and moaned in sweet delirium.  
  
Barnabas awoke from his sleep abruptly. The hot shaft of sunlight coming in through the large windows had hit his face and his eyes snapped open. The dream had been so vivid that for a moment, he wasn't sure which was real, the dream or the light of the dawn. Instinctively, his hand shot up to his neck. There were no wounds, which meant Roxanne had not come to him while he slept. Barnabas knew that he had to talk to Julia, she would know what to do. Perhaps Julia could help him escape his overwhelming obsession and lust for a vampire.  
  
Barnabas looked out the window at the morning sun and there were tears in his eyes. 


	7. Daylight and a Stranger

CHAPTER SEVEN: Daylight and a Stranger  
  
"So," Maggie asked Julia, "All those things Joe said were true?"  
  
"Yes," Julia said, "Vampires do exist and Joe was the victim of one. However, it drove him insane. He really loved you Maggie. You must believe that. If it wasn't for the vampire who attacked him, you two could have been happy together."  
  
"It doesn't really matter now, does it?" Maggie said sadly.  
  
"You're right. Joe's condition is incurable, there is no way he could ever return to the way he was before. I'm so sorry, Maggie."  
  
"It's alright. It helps a little to know that what happened to him wasn't my fault." Maggie paused, taking a deep breath, "What are we going to do now, Julia?"  
  
"We must find Roxanne and drive a wooden stake through her heart. She will probably being in hiding by now, the sun has already risen. We've been talking all night. You should go to your room and get dressed. We have a long day of hunting ahead."  
  
"What about David? I have a whole day of lessons to teach him." Maggie inquired.  
  
"Make up some excuse to Mrs. Stoddard. This is a matter of life or death!" Julia said, "Now, I'll go up to the Old House and check on Barnabas. Meet me at Eagle Hill Cemetery in three hours. We must start looking for Roxanne's hiding place."  
  
"Alright."  
  
Bright sunshine hit the ground in irregular patterns under the vast canopy of trees in the forest surrounding the Collins estate. From beneath dark sunglasses, a pair of large eyes looked up at the sun. These eyes belonged to a stranger that was clad in a long black leather trench coat, a concealing hat and pair of gloves of the same material, and a thick scarf of black silk that was tied around the exposed part of the face in order to completely hide the identity of this person. The man (or woman, it was impossible to tell, so complete was the disguise) had just stepped out from a parked car and one of his shiny black boots was already on the dusty road. The car was charcoal gray with tinted windows and license plate that read 'New York'. He locked the door of the car and headed out into the woods, the boots crunching on an occasional leaf of the early autumn.  
  
At the Old House, Barnabas was almost finished changing his garments from the previous day as he heard knocking at the door. Leaving his jacket and tie on the table, Barnabas went to answer it. He opened the door to Julia, remarking that he was just about to go to Collinwood to see her. They went into the drawing room and Julia sat down.  
  
"Barnabas," she began, a little frightened and at the same time very brave, "There's something I have to tell you. This is not an easy thing to say." "I know what it is, Julia. Roxanne Drew is here, in Collinsport. I saw her last night at Collinwood." Barnabas tried his best to seem unemotional.  
  
"You saw her! Oh Barnabas, don't you realize that you're in danger?" Julia was truly afraid now, "She's going to try and make you into what you were again! I'm sure of it. You must leave town at once. It's the only solution!"  
  
"No, Julia. No matter where I go now, she will follow. I must stay."  
  
"But, if you stay," Julia was pleading with him, "Roxanne will make you her victim. She may not do it right away, but there's no alternative. She will kill you!"  
  
"Maybe I want her to kill me, or make me what I once was. Maybe death or undeath would be an escape from this life I'm living!"  
  
"Noooo!" Julia shrieked, "You can't do this! I won't let you! You must let me help you, Barnabas. You're just hurt and depressed and not thinking straight. Do you really want it to happen again? Do you really want to be a drinker of human blood? Do you want to be the bringer of sorrow and torment and death to innocent people?!"  
  
"Of course I don't want it again!" Barnabas broke down, "But she's calling me! Roxanne is here, she wants me to be with her! I can hear her voice every moment! I can see her face all the time! Last night I dreamed of Roxanne as she was in 1840. I came to her and drank her blood and took pleasure in it! Oh God, Julia! You must help me, I'm losing my mind, I'm losing control! I'll die if this goes on much longer."  
  
"Barnabas!" Julia shouted the name as she rose from her chair and embraced him. He was crying on her shoulder. Julia gently stroked his dark brown hair, telling him that she would help him and everything would be all right.  
  
Maggie Evans, wearing jeans, her auburn locks tucked in a woolen cap, noticed the figure dressed all in black as soon as she reached Eagle Hill. At once, she was afraid. There was no reason to be. It was bright daylight. This couldn't be a vampire. Wait, it could be a minion of the vampire. Fear shot through Maggie's chest as the black figure came closer.  
  
"Where is Barnabas Collins?" the muffled, unreal voice of the stranger asked.  
  
"I won't tell you anything." Maggie said, doing her best to be brave.  
  
"Yes you will," the voice was softer, almost feminine now, "You're so tired Maggie."  
  
"How did you know my name?!"  
  
"You're so very, very tired. You didn't sleep at all last night. You want to sleep, don't you? Why don't you sleep, Maggie? Why don't you read your weary mind?"  
  
Maggie was beginning to feel sick and tired. She struggled to keep awake, sure that something horrible would happen if she did sleep now. But, it was impossible, for within minutes, Maggie Evans was lost in a dream trance, totally helpless, sleeping while at the same time standing.  
  
"Now, Maggie," the dark figure said as he removed his dark sunglasses, "You're going to tell me everything I need to know."  
  
However, another voice rang out in the woods by Eagle Hill, interrupting the mysterious stranger.  
  
"Stop!" yelled Julia Hoffman, "Leave her alone!"  
  
The stranger turned to face Julia. He removed his leather hat and the black silk scarf that hid his face. Instantly, Julia knew who it was. 


	8. Angelique

CHAPTER EIGHT: Angelique  
  
A gloved hand let go of the silk scarf and it blew away into the autumn wind, into the towering trees. The other hand had just removed the large leather hat, revealing the stranger's bright blonde hair, which was tightly pinned up. The golden cloud of hair fell about her shoulders as the stranger unpinned it. Her huge blue-green eyes stared at Julia with the cunning of a long time foe.  
  
"Angelique!" Julia shouted at the beautiful woman.  
  
"Yes, Julia," Angelique's voice no longer bore the French accent of her island home, which she had left over a century ago, "I have returned to Collinwood at long last. No matter where I go, I cannot seem to escape my destiny here. This is where I belong, close to Barnabas."  
  
"What have you done to Maggie?!" Julia was still shocked.  
  
"Believe me, Julia, I meant no harm to Miss Evans. She was frightened of me and I had to do something. Something's amiss here at Collinwood and it's not just my imagination. There's some danger to Barnabas, I can tell. I saw it in a vision. You see, I still have all the ancient powers. I have come here to help Barnabas."  
  
"You help Barnabas?" Julia was angry, "I wouldn't trust you near him under any circumstances!"  
  
"You forget, Julia," Angelique gently reminded her, "I helped Barnabas in his fight against the Leviathans. Remember? Afterwards, I went to New York City to further my modeling career and thought I could put Barnabas and my magic behind me for good. But, I realize now that I can never do that. I've tried too many times."  
  
Maggie, still entranced, moaned softly.  
  
"Here," Angelique said, "To prove my good will, I will release Maggie from my power."  
  
Angelique's gloved hands reached out and removed Maggie's woolen cap. She gently pushed back Maggie's long hair and put one finger on each temple. Angelique muttered something under her breath as she massaged Maggie's temples. Suddenly, Maggie jerked back from Angelique, no longer in a trance.  
  
"Julia?" Maggie said groggily, as if just waking up, "What happened? Hey, why are you here, Mrs. Rumson?"  
  
"I've come to help you and Dr. Hoffman stop the danger if I can." Angelique told Maggie. "But, I don't know what's happening. Would you two please explain?"  
  
"Alright." Julia finally gave in, they could use Angelique's help. Despite Julia's warning not to enter Mrs. Johnson's room for fear of contamination, Elisabeth Collins Stoddard felt she owed her loyal housekeeper some breakfast at least. So, Elisabeth had gone up to Mrs. Johnson's room with a tray of hot oatmeal and cold milk. Elisabeth sighed, after all these years with Mrs. Johnson around, she had little practice cooking even the simplest food. Oh well. She pushed the door open slowly with her shoulder.  
  
To Elisabeth's surprise, Sarah Johnson was sitting up on her bed, fully dressed.  
  
"Mrs. Johnson?" Elisabeth's voice was kind and compassionate, "I brought you something to eat."  
  
Sarah did not respond for a few moments. Then, ever so slowly, and weakly, she began to speak, "I'm not hungry, Mrs. Stoddard. I just want to be alone."  
  
Elisabeth was a little shaken, but left anyway, closing the door behind her. After Elisabeth had gone, Sarah rose slowly from her bed and proceeded to take down all the crosses that Julia Hoffman had put up in her room. Then, Sarah opened the window wide before slumping back onto her bed, awaiting sunset.  
  
Barnabas was huddled up in the corner of Josette's room, clutching the sides of his head with his large hands. He dared not sleep, the dreams about Roxanne would come if he did. Barnabas couldn't stop thinking about Roxanne, waking or sleeping. He had come here, to the chamber that had belonged to his sweet Josette to try and forget. It was useless. He could stare at Josette's portrait forever, but that delicate, aristocratic face would always take the form of Roxanne in time. What horror, that even his memory of Josette was blasphemed by this obsession with a vampire! New tears fell down his cheeks to replace the dried ones.  
  
The sun came out from behind a cloud and glared through the window into Josette's gilt vanity mirror, which in turn shined at Barnabas, filling his eyes with bright light, momentarily blinding him. Barnabas rubbed his eyes, and then, it seemed to him that he was hearing the softest, most soothing music in the world. He kept his eyes closed and for the first time since he saw her, Roxanne did not fill the darkness. The music became louder and clearer, yet it never lost its softness.  
  
"Am I dead at last? Is this heaven? Is it the angel of death come to me, to bring me sweet relief?" Barnabas asked himself.  
  
The music was beautiful. There was a woman singing. Her voice was so wonderful, like sinking into a pool of pure joy. Her words were at first indistinguishable, but he came to understand them in time. The song was in French, and very, very pretty. Barnabas realized eventually that he had heard this song, indeed this very voice singing it, long ago. It had been on Martinique.  
  
"Ohhh, Martinique." The island where he had fallen in love with Josette DuPres, sitting in her flower garden, the loveliest of all the island flowers. She sat there, dressed in white, a parasol blooming above her like the petals of a white blossom. Josette had picked a single flower of the palest pink imaginable to put in her hair. As she did so, she sang a sweet lullaby in French, one her long dead mother used to sing. At once Barnabas had loved her, though he would not realize it for a long time, till after he had destroyed all their lives with his cruel seduction of Josette's maid, Angelique Bouchard.  
  
This was Josette's song.  
  
No other melody could compare. He had even captured it in a music box, but no device could make the purity and innocence of Josette's voice softly singing.  
  
Barnabas opened his eyes. Yes! He could forget Roxanne. His Josette, his truest, dearest love would be his anchor to life. He would not let go of her, lest he should plunge into an abyss.  
  
As Barnabas opened his eyes, he realized that the dying sun had filled the room with its soft glow and she was there. Josette!  
  
"Josette!" he cried tears of joy. Josette was joy! She was joy and laughter and sweetness and kindness and light and love and all that was good in the whole world. Most of all Josette was love! She was dressed in her wedding gown, the white lace veil over her face. She was his bride, a pure and perfect virgin set on the earth for Barnabas alone to love.  
  
Josette lifted her veil. Her cheeks were rosy, her auburn hair was streaked with a glow from the fading sun. He was on his feet now. His mouth was kissing her cheek, and her lips, and then her neck. His fingers pulled at the lace of her bodice, ripping and tearing. His kisses were fire on her bosom.  
  
"No!" He shrunk back from her. This was not Josette! It was magic! Fairy glamour! Only the will of a priestess of the dark arts could seduce a man this way. It could not be Roxanne. It had to be the other.  
  
"Yes, husband," the voice of the witch answered, "It is I, your bride, Angelique."  
  
It was Angelique with her golden hair. She wore a long, open jacket of black leather and below it, a short and tight black dress that hugged her figure enticingly.  
  
"Noooo!" Barnabas wept, "How could you do this? How could you use your arts this way? It is wrong to meddle in my heart like this!"  
  
"I know that, my love. But, I had to do something. This vampire woman is tearing at your soul. I only wanted to help you forget her. I may not be joy or love or light, I am darkness itself! But, my darling, I am forgetfulness. I am escape." Angelique removed her coat and set it down on a chair. "Forgive me. I only want to help you." "There is only one way," said Julia as she entered the room, "We know that now. Roxanne must be destroyed!"  
  
"Yes," Angelique agreed, "But it may already be too late for one who lives at Collinwood.  
  
"What?!" Barnabas and Julia asked almost simultaneously, for this was prophecy they could not ignore. 


	9. Nightfall

CHAPTER NINE: Nightfall  
  
Author's Note: This chapter got a little too bloody, so just in case, I'm changing the rating to an 'R' for the time being.  
  
"Mrs. Johnson will die tonight." Angelique told Barnabas and Julia.  
  
At Collinwood, Sarah Johnson's eyes were focused on the setting sun as it dipped below the trees outside her open window. Languidly, her feeble hand unbuttoned the high-necked collar of her somber charcoal dress. She rapidly tore at the buttons, until her neck and chest were free of the constraining fabric. Then, Sarah slowly got up from her chair and walked to the mirror on the wall. The thin skin of Sarah's face was wrinkled and hideously pale. Her eyes were dreamy, like she was living in another world. Listlessly, Sarah let down her curly, graying hair. She turned to face the window. Orange moonlight began to fill the dark room.  
  
The vampire Roxanne was standing in front of the window, her blood red hair falling about her pale shoulders. Roxanne wore a loose, diaphanous chemise that fell all the way to the floor. She opened her milky white arms, beckoning her victim.  
  
As Sarah went into the vampire's embrace, Maggie Evans burst into the room, an antique wooden crucifix in her hand. Roxanne threw Sarah to the ground and backed away to the window. Maggie advanced on Roxanne, holding the holy symbol up high. Roxanne shrieked, opening her mouth and hissing through her vampire fangs. Then, a cloud covered the orange moon, and the room was pitch black. When the dim light returned, the vampire woman was gone. Maggie kneeled down at once to help Mrs. Johnson, who lay on the floor in a swoon.  
  
Barnabas Collins, Julia Hoffman, and the witch, Angelique, walked briskly through the dense forest to Eagle Hill Cemetery. It was getting chilly, and Angelique had again donned her black leather trench coat. Both Barnabas and Julia wore full overcoats against the cold as well.  
  
"I hope Maggie followed my instructions," Julia said, "I told her to go and look after Mrs. Johnson at sunset and stay with her until dawn."  
  
"I don't trust Miss Evans with someone's life. She doesn't seem that dependable. Why, it's no wonder her fiancé preferred me." Angelique said, rather arrogantly.  
  
"Angelique," Barnabas chided her, "Don't be cruel."  
  
"Ha!" Angelique's mocking giggle answered him.  
  
Maggie yelled for help, and soon, Roger and David were in Sarah's room, helping Maggie lift the old housekeeper into bed. After some flustered words of concern, Roger sent David to bed and left to call an ambulance. Maggie sat next to the bed, clutching her crucifix in her sweaty, shaking hands. Sarah was still half-awake, groaning and muttering incomprehensible sentences. The wounds on her wrinkled neck had not been punctured again.  
  
"Thank God I got to her in time!" Maggie said to herself. Then, she gently patted Sarah's arm, trying to calm the older woman, "Hush now, Mrs. Johnson. The ambulance should be here soon. Shhhh." Despite Maggie's calming words, Sarah kept moaning and groaning and muttering. Then, without warning, Sarah began to thrash about on the bed, writhing in bizarre contortions. Sarah's hand clasped onto the part of her neck where the wounds had been inflicted. Maggie screamed as she realized that bright crimson blood was welling up from the wounds, staining Sarah's pale hands. As Sarah writhed on the bed, crying out in pain so horrific that it was sensual, the blood was smearing all over her bare neck and chest and on her dress.  
  
Julia came into Sarah's room, soon followed by Barnabas and Angelique. Julia quickly went to Sarah's side, trying to examine the woman who was twisting and turning and tossing on the bed. Julia noticed that Sarah was not only bleeding from her neck, but from her wrist as well. The two wounds on the wrist artery were spraying blood on Julia, but the doctor paid no attention as drops of redness hit her pastel pantsuit and her bare hands. Maggie was screaming, loudly and in terror.  
  
"Come, Maggie," Barnabas put his arm around Maggie, trying to comfort her, "Let me take you away from here." With the gentleness of a father (or a lover), he led Maggie away to her own room. Angelique stared angrily at Barnabas as he did this, but turned back to Julia when the doctor called to her.  
  
"Angelique, please get me my medical bag. It's in my room."  
  
"It's no use, Julia." Angelique said, traces of coldness in her voice, "That poor woman will be dead before the hour is out."  
  
"GET ME MY BAG!" Julia forcefully commanded, finally finding her strength, "I will not let my patient die without a fight! GO NOW!"  
  
A tad shaken at Julia's newfound force, Angelique went for the bag. By the time she returned, the bed itself was smeared with blood. Angelique handed the bag to Julia, and the doctor tried to bandage Sarah's wounds. Julia was trying in vain. Sarah would not stop bleeding.  
  
"Angelique," Julia implored, "I can't help her. You must try! Use your magic! Surely there is some spell you could use! You must try!"  
  
"I'm warning you, Julia, this may not work. Vampires have great powers, especially great is their control over their victims. If Roxanne keeps willing Mrs. Johnson to die, it will happen sooner or later."  
  
"But you can do something! You have powers too, Angelique!" Julia begged.  
  
"Alright." Angelique said as she moved toward Sarah, whose moans had grown weak and tired. Angelique said something in French and then laid her hands on Sarah's neck and wrist. Sarah finally stopped moving and lay still and quiet. Angelique continued speaking, but she switched from French to a language Julia did not recognize. "Julia, get me some water and a needle. Hurry!"  
  
Julia gave Angelique the glass of water and the needle as quickly as possible. Angelique put the glass down on the bedside table and then took the needle in one hand. The witch used the needle to prick her finger and squeezed it over the glass until several drops of Angelique's blood had dripped into the water. Angelique said a few words in the unknown language as she watched the blood spiral around in the water. Swiftly, Angelique forced the bloody water into Sarah's mouth. Sarah started to cough the liquid up, but Angelique held the older woman's mouth shut and made her swallow. Then, the witch stepped away from the blood soaked bed.  
  
Julia moved to examine Sarah. "She's stopped bleeding! Look, her breathing is normal!"  
  
"We don't know if it worked yet, Julia." Angelique cautioned.  
  
Julia took a white napkin and began to wipe the sweat and blood from Sarah's face, neck, chest and arms. Sarah was docile now, almost asleep. But then, suddenly, Sarah's eyes snapped open and she sat up in bed with supernatural swiftness.  
  
"Roxanne!" Sarah cried out, as she slumped back onto the bed, her eyes open and staring blankly. Julia hurried to take Sarah's pulse. A look of horror came over Julia's plain features.  
  
"She's dead." Angelique took the words from Julia's mouth. "Calm yourself, Julia. Don't you see? This has all been a distraction so that Roxanne can."  
  
"Barnabas!" Julia realized what was happening. Without another word, Julia raced down the hall to Maggie's room. Barnabas wasn't there. Maggie was sitting on her bed in a yellow bathrobe, stifling tears.  
  
"Is she?" Maggie began, but Julia interrupted her.  
  
"Where's Barnabas?" Julia's voice was urgent.  
  
"I thought he.well he said he was going back to help you and Mrs. Rumson. Didn't he go to.Oh no!" Maggie suddenly understood.  
  
"Barnabas is with her." Angelique said simply as she appeared in Maggie's doorway. "I know it for certain. And I also know where they are." 


	10. Be My Love

CHAPTER TEN: Be My Love

Roxanne Drew waited for Barnabas Collins on the long white beach that ran along the coast. The chilly night air was made all the colder by the ocean, but Roxanne, being a vampire, took no notice. Her blue eyes stared down at the deep black and violet waves as they gently hit the shore. There was not much wind, only a little calm breeze that let Roxanne's long, nearly transparent shift cling to her slim body. She was a solitary figure, standing alone on the sand. The full moon cast a strange, dreamlike glow on her.

"Oh Barnabas, Barnabas," Roxanne murmured softly, "Come to me. I know how you cannot live without me, just as I cannot live without you. We are one being."

She needed him badly, that was all she had thought about through all her pain, all her suffering, and all her sorrows. But what was it that she really wanted? Blood? No, that wasn't it. Blood was just a vehicle, blood she could get from any being that walked the earth and still breathed. Then what was it she desired? Love. That was it, plain and simple. Barnabas was love to her. He had been so kind to her. His eyes, hazel and sad, they said to her "I love you" the very moment that she first entered their gaze. It was so long ago, ages and ages in the past. But, there was no forgetting love. Even touch was unnecessary, though it was sensual, just as blood was, all she needed was to be with him and have him with her and hear him tell her over and over and over how much he loved her.

Barnabas was walking up the beach toward Roxanne. He wore, as always, a proper suit and tie, as well as his elegant overcoat. He carried his silver cane in his hand. Such a gentleman, so proper, so refined. Suffering. Why was he suffering? Didn't he know what it was like at last to be happy? How could he not be happy, now that they were together at last? He was standing only a few feet away. The wind had picked up and it whipped at Roxanne's hair. She stepped toward him.

"Why are you so sad?" Roxanne asked him, "Why aren't you happy? We are together."

How simple. Just being with him. There was no question for her.

"Don't you see what you are doing to me?!" he was on the verge of rage, but suppressing it, "Night and day, all I can think of is you! Every time I close my eyes, I see you! What have you done to me?"

"Nothing," her voice was sincere, full of tenderness. I was the truth, she had not used her power to charm him, enslave him to her, and bind his will. Roxanne had not even thought to do that to Barnabas, it was obvious to her that he loved her and would come to her. She had not even used the vampire call to summon him to the beach.

"Then what is happening to me? Am I mad?! How did I come here? How did I know that you would be here?" So many questions.

"I thought you would know that as well as I. We are as one, Barnabas. There is a bond between us that is eternal. Our souls are mated." She reached out her lovely hand and stroked his cheek. He sighed as she did so, the merest touch from her was ecstasy. Barnabas remembered holding her hand the night before, he remembered leaving his body and existing in a world just with her. 

What would it be like to kiss her again? It had been over a century since that last kiss, before her untimely death. Barnabas quickly put such thoughts away. He could not give in. It would mean death or undeath to give in.

"Don't be afraid." She said. Was she reading his mind? Or was the bond between them so great that when they touched, their minds were one? She continued, "You mustn't be afraid of me, Barnabas. You must never, ever fear me. I love you."

She had said it. It sounded so meaningless to say it. He knew that she loved him without her having to speak. Still, it did not matter, saying it, however meaningless, let out the great waves inside her.

"I love you, Barnabas." What a clear, beautiful voice, "Tell me that you love me. Let me hear you say it. Oh, I see. You are still afraid. Don't be! Tell me that you love me, just once! If you do just that much, I'll leave here. I'll go away and you won't have to see me ever again!" She turned away from him, a little tear ran down her face.

"No! Roxanne!" He yelled, fearful that she might actually go, like a passing dream. "Please, don't go. Do you want to hear that I love you? I do. I love you. I love you."

Roxanne whirled around, she had such grace. His strong arms and large hands were holding her. She was cold and he was warm, warm and alive. Would she take that warmth? Would she bring him into her world, a world that he had at last escaped? He was gripping her tightly, like a woodland nymph or fairy a mortal had caught and dared not let go, lest she escape into the fairyland. 

"Barnabas," Her hand reached up to caress his face again, "You are mortal, and you are alive. I can't take that away, not after how you're hungered for it and finally have it."

"No, I don't want this life anyhow. I am not happy, Roxanne. You can tell, everyone can. Even dear Julia can tell. Life is so lonely, so cold."

"You have been to my life, it is colder still."

"It doesn't matter. _Etre mon amour_. Do you know what that means? It means_ Be my love._" He was holding her as tight as he could. His lips touched hers. It was a thrilling kiss, passionate and sensual and innocent and sinful all at the same time. 

With strength that seemed impossible for one so fragile, Roxanne broke away and brought her wrist to her mouth. Then, with a mouth still warm from Barnabas, she kissed her wrist, still cradling it in her other hand. Then, with a swift flash of fanged teeth, she had drawn blood. There was no pain for her in this act, none at all. Roxanne reached her wounded arm up toward the moon and Barnabas watched transfixed as her vampire blood trickled down the smooth white flesh. Roxanne's eyes met his.

Barnabas's mouth was on her arm, traveling up the rich flow to the source of the font. Shocks of pleasure rippled through his body, not localized, like making love, but in every fiber of his being. His lips reached her bleeding wrist. He heard Roxanne sigh with intense happiness and pleasure. The moments that they spent like that seemed an eternity.

Eternity. That is what they would have. 

It was over. Barnabas released her arm, which was now healing the self-inflicted wound. They kissed again, over and over, the taste of vampire blood in these kisses, yet still, they were the same as before.

Her kisses made their way down his cheeks, and neck and then she was ripping at the fabric of his immaculate dress shirt. His chest was covered with dark hair, starting to gray a little. Barnabas felt a sting above his heart, not unlike two sharp needles plunging into his chest. He looked up at the full moon, and shouted at it.

"Fates! I defy you at last. I love this woman and she loves me!"


	11. His Wife and his Lover

CHAPTER ELEVEN: His Wife and his Lover  
  
"As I bent down to close the eyelids of Mrs. Johnson," the witch, Angelique, told Julia, "I had another vision. I saw Barnabas walking on a beach."  
  
"At night?" Julia asked.  
  
"Yes. It must be happening even as we speak, Julia."  
  
"Do you know which beach? What did it look like?" Maggie piped in, "I've lived in Collinsport for years, and I can help!"  
  
"It was long and thin and had very white sand." Angelique remembered.  
  
"Where there rocks in the water and many plants?" Maggie asked.  
  
"No," Angelique told her, "It was all sand, white sand. Yes! I could see Shipwreck Point across the bay! I remember clearly."  
  
"It must be at Findley's Cove!" Maggie announced, "That's pretty far from here. He couldn't possibly be there now, especially walking."  
  
"We can borrow Roger's car. Come'on, we don't have much time!" Julia turned to the young governess, "Maggie, this is too dangerous, you should stay here."  
  
On the moonlit beach at Findley's Cove, the vampire Roxanne and her lover Barnabas lay on the sand, cold water rushing over their bodies in gentle waves. Roxanne's long chemise was soaked through with water and it clung to her body. Roxanne gently planted one last kiss on the bite wound she had inflicted on Barnabas's chest and then preceded to button up his soaking wet shirt. Barnabas's coat and tie lay a few feet back in the sand. Another wave of cold seawater hit the lovers. Roxanne helped Barnabas to his feet.  
  
"You must go now, my love." Their wet bodies were still clinging to each other.  
  
"When will I see you again?" Barnabas's voice was desperate and impassioned.  
  
"I have something to deal with first. So do you. Make your peace with those around you, Barnabas, and then we shall leave."  
  
"Leave! At last, I can finally escape this wretched place. And I'll be with you." Barnabas kissed her wet forehead and her curling red hair.  
  
"Go now. You must."  
  
"Where shall we meet again?"  
  
"You will know when the time comes. Now go!" She kissed his mouth quickly and he departed into the dark nighttime forest. Roxanne ran her fingers through her mane of hair, a smile of intense joy on her face.  
  
At that moment, an automobile was pulling up the dirt road, through the woods, down to the beach. Roxanne laughed as she saw it. What an odd invention! To think, here was a new world with so many delights and oddities to discover, one by one, with Barnabas at her side.  
  
The auto stopped and two women got out. Roxanne recognized them both. One was Julia Hoffman, the doctor and friend of Barnabas, and the other was (Oh God, this cannot be!) Angelique Collins, the evil witch who had kept Roxanne and Barnabas apart in times gone by. Roxanne's heart seethed with rage.  
  
"Where is Barnabas?" Angelique demanded.  
  
"You witch! You wicked, wicked witch! You dare come here to keep Barnabas and I apart, now when we are so happy? You had me under your control once, it won't happen again." Roxanne snarled and hissed through her vampire fangs.  
  
"Julia, get back in the car!" Angelique warned, and the doctor did as Angelique advised. Angelique moved forward, her open leather coat flapping in the wind, which was blowing harder and harder in great gusts of freezing cold air. Angelique spoke, her voice beginning to boom, "Innanna de déesse, à vous je prie! Prendre cette femme qui habite au delà de la vraie mort et m'aide à détruire son corps malpropre!" Angelique stretched forth her long arms to the sky.  
  
Dark clouds moved across the night sky with unnatural speed. The wind was becoming a storm. Lightning flashed in the darkness, illuminating the night. Roxanne advanced toward Angelique. Roxanne opened her mouth wide, exposing the sharp fangs. Thunder sounded, like the cruel voice of the gods. Julia Hoffman stared at the two women on the beach through the window of Roger's car. Then, rain started to fall, great torrents of rain. The wind and rain were so fierce that Julia could barely see the outlines of Angelique and Roxanne.  
  
Julia screamed as she saw a great shape hurtling toward the windshield of the car, she ducked down as far as she could as the object smashed against the glass, nearly shattering it. Julia peeked up, the rain was still pouring, but she saw that lying on the great cracked glass, was a figure wrapped in black leather.  
  
"Angelique!" Julia shrieked, not knowing if her most powerful ally was dead or alive. Almost as soon as Julia spoke, the rain stopped. Julia had no time to ponder this, for as soon as the pouring rain had ceased, the leather-clad body began to burn. Terrified, Julia thrust open the door and threw herself out of the car, right into the freezing water of the bay. It was a good thing that Julia did so, for as she got up to look back at the car, she saw that the vehicle was consumed by fire. Julia took refuge in the cold water as the car exploded.  
  
In the foyer of Collinwood, Roger Collins closed the door after the paramedics took away Sarah Johnson's body. Sadly, they had arrived too late to do anything else.  
  
"Rather sad about Mrs. Johnson, especially with her niece visiting. Poor girl. She'll have to be told in the morning. What time is it, anyway?" Roger looked at the antique grandfather clock that stood next to the drawing room doors. "Past midnight. Ho, hum. I need a drink." He went into the drawing room for some sherry. As he opened the door, he saw Maggie Evans sitting by the dying fire, dressed only in her yellow bathrobe. Maggie was crying bitterly.  
  
"Maggie, you should be properly dressed for the company. Lucky for you they left without coming in for a drink." Roger quipped, with his usual out of place, rather morbid humor.  
  
"That was uncalled for!" Maggie said between sobs.  
  
"Honestly, Maggie, it's not like you and Mrs. Johnson were that close!" Roger teased her mercilessly as he poured himself a drink.  
  
"Get out!" Tears were streaming down the young governess's pretty face.  
  
"I will not be told to come and go in my own house, Miss Evans." Roger said arrogantly.  
  
"GET OUT!" Maggie screamed at the top of her voice.  
  
Quite put off by Maggie's emotional behavior, Roger took his glass of sherry (taking the whole bottle as well) and left the room. As he entered the foyer, however, he was surprised to hear a loud banging on the door. Putting down the sherry, Roger went to answer it. Barnabas fell into the room, a total wreck, half delirious. Barnabas was wearing only a soaking wet, torn dress shirt and trousers soiled with wet sand.  
  
"Well," Roger thought, "It isn't like cousin Barnabas to go out drinking and partying!"  
  
Then, Roger noticed that there was blood on Barnabas's white shirt.  
  
Outside Collinwood, hidden by trees and rising mist, the vampire Roxanne smiled with fanged teeth. 


	12. Calling Her Back

CHAPTER TWELVE: Calling Her Back  
  
Barnabas Collins, wet and disheveled, staggered into Collinwood. Roger Collins was shocked to discover that the front of Barnabas's soaking wet shirt was red with blood. Barnabas moved about drunkenly, it seemed that he would fall over at any minute. Roger supported Barnabas by the arm and led him into the drawing room.  
  
"Barnabas!" Maggie was horrified at Barnabas's condition.  
  
"Help me put him down on the couch." Roger said to Maggie. Gently, the auburn haired girl helped to guide Barnabas to the couch, where he lay down.  
  
"What's happened to him? Look, he's hurt himself! There's blood!" Maggie said, knowing secretly that Julia and Angelique must not have reached Findley's Cove in time.  
  
"How should I know!" Roger was agitated, "He's all wet. Perhaps he got caught in the storm. It was very fierce."  
  
"That was strange! The storm only lasted for a few minutes." Maggie went to the phone, "We should call a doctor."  
  
"Why not just ask Julia to come down and have a look at him? Why do you think we have a doctor living here at Collinwood?!"  
  
"Julia's not here. She went for a, a, she," Maggie tried to think of a lie, "She went to town."  
  
"Oh yes," Roger remembered, "Julia took my car. She said she was, hmmm, to town?"  
  
"It's not important!" Maggie said, "Hurry, we have to get a doctor!"  
  
"No, we'd better take him to a hospital. Do you think he can be moved?"  
  
Meanwhile, Doctor Julia Hoffman was crawling out of the cold nighttime waters of Findley's Cove. Only a few yards away, the remains of Roger's car littered the beach.  
  
"Thank goodness none of the rubble hit me in the water," Julia thought, "I'd better get back to Collinwood and change clothes or I'll be ill, it's freezing out here at night. Ohh, without a car, this is going to take some time!"  
  
However, Julia knew that she had to hurry. She had no idea where Barnabas was and for every moment that he was missing, his life was in greater danger.  
  
The Collinsport Morgue was a busy place. Smith Peterson knew that very well. In his twenty years as a mortician, he had gotten more business in Collinsport than any other town in the whole of New England. Business was so good, in fact, that Smith had moved into the small fishing village for good fifteen years ago. Smith knew the reason for all the work too. Being a devout student of the occult, Smith had discovered many years ago that Collinsport, especially the Collins family themselves, suffered from a terrible curse, which returned in every generation to hurt and destroy those at Collinwood and all the people close to them. This curse was good for business, so Smith kept his mouth shut and let the bodies roll in, one by one, year after year. A Collins funeral was particularly profitable, the wealthy family seemed to have an obsession with beautiful coffins and headstones and all the things Smith sold.  
  
At the moment, a not so profitable client's corpse lay on the table, the Collins housekeeper. Stupid old bag, no one in his or her right mind should work at Collinwood, no matter how good the pay was. It was nearly two in the morning, but Smith was a workaholic, albeit a very morbid workaholic. Vampire attack. It happened often in Collinsport.  
  
"Oh well," Smith thought, "No danger. The old lady won't rise till tomorrow night. I can look forward to some nice new corpses once she does."  
  
Little did Smith know that there was a vampire at that very moment outside the morgue. Roxanne stared at the place. A strange, thick fog was rising about the town, making it impossible for her long chemise to dry, so it was sticking to her body, totally transparent now. Roxanne began to speak aloud, "My servant, your reward is at hand. You have suffered much, but it will be nothing compared to the eternal happiness you shall enjoy. Come, respond to my will and awaken."  
  
The fluorescent lights of the morgue hummed in the silence. On the table, Sarah Johnson's eyes opened. Smith Peterson screamed as she pushed him to the white tiled floor. Sarah, suddenly tall and majestic, towered above the fallen man. She was ageless now, beautiful as she had never been in life, especially in the last few days when her ugly body had been wasting away. The once wrinkled face was smooth and white, the graying hair was a soft brown, and the frumpy figure was lithe and sensuous through the baggy gray tunic that tied in the back like a hospital gown. Sarah bent down over the wailing man, revealing her new vampire fangs.  
  
"Oh, Mister Peterson," a deep, otherworldly voice, very different from the living Mrs. Johnson, "You're not a very nice man." Smith could feel her in his mind.  
  
Smith's body contorted in terror as the Sarah's sharp teeth gnawed at his throat until they drew blood. Sarah took her face away from his neck for a moment and then snapped his neck so quickly that Smith Peterson didn't even have time to scream again. The newborn vampire then began to drink in heavy, tremendous gulps, quickly draining the man until he was a shriveled, pale husk. She shut the bloodless body up in an empty body freezer and then left the morgue with a smile on her face.  
  
Only a few blocks away, at the Collinsport Hospital, Maggie Evans and Roger Collins were arriving with the very sick Barnabas Collins. Maggie had found time to change out of her robe into a loose pale blue jumper and white blouse. The doctors took Barnabas to the Emergency Room immediately.  
  
A pretty, African American nurse came to the waiting room about an hour later, where Maggie, Roger, and Elisabeth, who they had telephoned to come, were sitting. Although very upset, the stately matron looked calm and serene.  
  
"Mr. Collins is suffering from a considerable loss of blood, no doubt due to the wound on his chest. We just gave him several transfusions. He's resting now." The nurse informed them.  
  
"When can we see him?" asked Maggie, who was the most visibly tearful.  
  
"I'm sorry, it won't be possible for him to receive any visitors until tomorrow at the earliest. Now Maggie," the nurse knew Maggie in high school, "Don't cry, Mr. Collins is looking much better. He has a high chance of pulling through this."  
  
"I hope so." Maggie wiped her face with a paper napkin.  
  
Julia finally returned to Collinwood at about the same time, which was past three in the morning. Julia was tired and wet. She banged on the door in the inconsiderate way people do when they are tired. Julia was horrified when Mrs. Johnson opened the front door for her. 


	13. Gegenüberstellung

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Gegenüberstellung  
  
Author's Note: To all animal lovers and my dear friend Megan, be warned, a cat dies in this chapter. There, don't complain to me.  
  
Julia was speechless when she saw the face of Mrs. Johnson. The former housekeeper's now smooth skin glowed faintly crimson with the pigment of new blood. Mrs. Johnson smiled with sharp white teeth. How beautiful she was now, so compelling and resplendent. Even in the fullest flower of youth, Mrs. Johnson had never bloomed with such mysterious sensuality. She was no longer wearing the morgue tunic, but was instead wore a long black negligee that revealed how smooth and lithe her new form really was.  
  
"Ah, Doctor Hoffman. We've been waiting for you," Mrs. Johnson's eyes watched Julia closely, "She wanted to speak to you about Mr. Collins. Barnabas Collins, that is."  
  
"Who wanted to speak to me? Roxanne?" Julia was hostile with fear.  
  
"Did I hear my name?" Roxanne said as she descended the staircase, clad in a sleeveless red satin gown that fell to her ankles. She was majestic, a goddess looking at a lowly mortal. "Leave us, Sarah." The dark haired vampire disappeared though a paneled door.  
  
"Where is Barnabas?" Julia demanded, pushing her fear to the back of her mind. Her life did not matter, only Barnabas, that's what Julia tried to remember.  
  
"I believe that his family took him to the hospital. They're all there now, even Elisabeth and the boy, David. He looks so like my nephew Tad, doesn't he Julia?" Roxanne was at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on Julia's shoulder. Julia couldn't help shuddering at the chill of death.  
  
"You stay away from David, and all the others!" Julia felt a sudden fear for all her dear friends.  
  
"Look at me, Julia?" Roxanne stared into Julia's eyes, "Could I ever hurt anyone?"  
  
"Stop that! I know what you're doing. I've done it myself. You're, oh." Julia was drifting away.  
  
"You are so plain, Julia. Just compare yourself to me. Even as a mortal woman, I was more beautiful than you. Think, Julia, you are just going to grow more and more old and ugly and undesirable. But, my beauty will never fade. Men will always desire me, Barnabas will always desire me." Roxanne was pulling Julia close to her.  
  
"Please!" Julia was crying, "Don't be so cruel. Please, don't do it!"  
  
"Don't you want to be desired, Julia?" Roxanne was clutching Julia, her mouth inches above the doctor's neck.  
  
With all the strength in her frail body, Julia shoved Roxanne away and reached into her wet clothing for her cross. Julia held the cross in front of her, backing Roxanne into a corner. Roxanne hissed, her face becoming more animalistic and fierce. Suddenly, Julia felt the rush of misty wind hit her body and then Roxanne was gone.  
  
Sarah Johnson entered the garden of Collinwood, where she saw, in the ornate gazebo, a sleek black cat was sleeping. Silent as the most skilled predator, the vampire approached the slumbering animal. With unnatural speed, her white hands had picked up the cat and her sharp nails had pierced its skin through the silky fur. Blood was smearing her fingers. Briefly she tasted the living blood, and then swiftly crushed the animal's windpipe. She lifted the cat to her lips and drained it greedily. As she coldly threw the dead beast to the ground, Sarah Johnson felt horrific pain through her heart.  
  
She fell down.  
  
There was blood all over the ground.  
  
Angelique did not put down her crossbow as she walked to the disgusting form on the ground, a dead old woman covered with vampire blood. Quickly, the witch proceeded to burn the body. Afterwards, Angelique walked through the woods to the spot where she had hidden her black car.  
  
Angelique tried not to think of Barnabas as she drove back to New York. As she drove through the village, she passed another car but did not know who was in it.  
  
"I wish we could have seen Barnabas before leaving." Maggie said to Elisabeth as the Collins family and their governess drove back to Collinwood.  
  
"Shhh, Maggie," Elisabeth whispered, "Look, David's asleep."  
  
"Oh," Maggie sighed, "I'm sorry. He looks like he's still a little boy when he sleeps."  
  
"How sentimental you are, Maggie." Roger scoffed. They reached Collinwood at about an hour before dawn. A few minutes before that, however, the nurse came to Barnabas Collins room and discovered that the patient was missing.  
  
Barnabas Collins, fully dressed in stolen clothes, walked up the steep slope of Widow's Hill without much difficulty. As he reached the top, Barnabas remembered another time, so long ago, when he had seen his dulcet Josette leap from the cliff on Widow's Hill. He remembered her broken body on the rocks below, where the evil waves hit the silent rocks. Roxanne waited for him at the summit, her crimson dress lending a warm glow to her pale undead flesh.  
  
Barnabas was holding her and kissing her and whispering words of love. Then her little mouth was pressed against his throat and they were lovers once more. Angelique turned her car around only a few minutes after she had left Collinsport and drove back to the estate. On the road to the great house, Angelique saw Julia Hoffman and stopped the car.  
  
"Angelique!" Julia was shocked.  
  
"Oh Julia," Angelique laughed, "You must know by now that I have a nasty habit of coming back over and over."  
  
"But I saw, oh, you must help me."  
  
"I know. I have the sight, Julia. Listen, I was on my way out of town, but I realized that I couldn't let this happen to Barnabas. He's at Widow's Hill with Roxanne. Go there, now." Angelique was calm and precise.  
  
"What about Mrs. Johnson?"  
  
"Destroyed." Angelique glanced into Julia's eyes and knew what the next question would be, "No, I can't go with you, this is something you must do alone."  
  
"Help me! I must save Barnabas."  
  
"Love him, you love him. Here, I'll drive you. Don't worry, I have some weapons in my car."  
  
Soon, the blonde witch dropped Julia off at Widow's Hill and sped away into the night. Armed and ready, Doctor Julia Hoffman ascended Widow's Hill to save the man she loved. 


	14. Just Before Dawn

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Just Before Dawn  
  
Julia Hoffman, dressed in a dark green pantsuit, carried a shotgun in her delicate hands. There was a cross around her neck, a crossbow strapped to her back, and a wooden stake hidden in her jacket. On her face was a look of pure determination. It was less than thirty minutes before dawn when Julia reached the summit of Widow's Hill.  
  
The vampire Roxanne was holding her lover, cradling him like a baby. It was the goddess Venus holding her Adonis in the night. There were wounds on Barnabas's neck, Julia could see the blood. Roxanne bent to kiss Barnabas, again and again. Then, Roxanne tore into his throat and drank. The vampire's white hands unbuttoned Barnabas's shirt, exposing the wound above his heart. Her head moved down to his chest to drink from his heart. As Roxanne bit into Barnabas's hairy chest, Julia approached them, aiming her shotgun.  
  
"Get away from my man, you BITCH!" This was the first time in her entire life that Doctor Julia Hoffman had ever used that word. But, Julia was a new woman now, her love had made her strong.  
  
"Did you just call me a bitch, Julia?" Roxanne reared up her head, the red hair tossing in the wind, and the red satin gown billowing in the breeze. Roxanne's sharp fangs gleamed in the moonlight. Julia fired at Roxanne, hitting her breast. Blood flowed from the wound, almost hidden in the red fabric. Roxanne roared in fury.  
  
"Bring it on, BITCH!" Julia screamed wildly at the top of her voice as she fired again. This time the bullet hit the vampire's white face and gored the lovely features.  
  
"You're calling me the bitch?" Roxanne asked as she approached Julia, hissing and baring her fangs, "Who just shot me in the face?"  
  
"You're right, honey," Julia said, "You're not the bitch, I am. Hear that, Barnabas, I AM THE BITCH!" Julia fired another shot at Roxanne, this time it hit her neck. Roxanne was totally covered with her own blood. Roxanne's iron hands bit in to Julia's shoulders.  
  
"Listen to me," the vampire said, "I'm going to drink your blood and make you into a vampire and then I'm going to make your immortal body suffer and suffer and suffer until you wish you could die but you never will." Roxanne's teeth bit into Julia's neck, but then the vampire drew back in horror from Julia's cross necklace. Using this opportunity, Julia pulled the crossbow out and launched an arrow at Roxanne. The wounded vampire shrieked as the bolt hit her, not in the heart, but in the stomach. Roxanne was at the very edge of the cliff, teetering on the brink of falling. Julia ran to the edge, taking the wooden stake from her jacket, with every ounce of strength she possessed, Julia pushed the stake into Roxanne's heart and then the vampire fell. Roxanne's dead body fell down and crashed upon the rocks at the bottom of Widow's Hill.  
  
As Roxanne went over the edge, Barnabas screamed, "Josette! Josette! Oh, nooo!" Julia went to him, but he simply screamed 'Josette' again and then fell back to the ground. Julia quickly took her beloved's pulse.  
  
"It's too late, he's dead." 


End file.
